No preparation needed. We’ll start with how your business is actually running today.
Most SME owners don’t have a growth problem. They have a structure problem, and it’s quietly costing them value.
If everything still comes back to you, decisions don’t stick and performance isn’t where it should be. The issue is usually how the business is structured and run.
I work with business owners to get control back, improve performance and build a business that is not dependent on them.
Working with SME owners in Chester and the surrounding area.
Chester and the surrounding area have the infrastructure and location advantages that many regions envy, good road links, proximity to major cities, access to skilled labour and a business community that spans manufacturing, professional services, construction and distribution. The challenge most owner-managed SMEs in the area face is not external. It is internal. The business has grown, but the structure and management capability around it has not kept pace. Decisions still pile up at the top. Performance varies. And the owner remains the answer to too many questions.
Chester has a significant concentration of professional services, financial and legal businesses. Owner-managed firms where the founder’s expertise and client relationships are the business, and where building something transferable is the real challenge.
Ellesmere Port has a substantial manufacturing and industrial base, with established engineering and distribution businesses around Helsby and the surrounding area too. Businesses that have often scaled headcount and operational complexity without putting the leadership structure and commercial discipline in place to match.
Trade and specialist contractors serving both local and wider regional markets. Strong order books and capable teams, but often with weak job margin control, inconsistent management and an owner who is still too close to day-to-day delivery.
Owner-managed distribution and logistics businesses benefiting from the area’s central location and transport links, but often without the operational structure, management accountability and commercial visibility that growth demands.
Everything still comes back to you
Your team are busy, but not aligned
Decisions take too long or don’t stick
You have meetings, but nothing really changes
Cashflow is tight or unpredictable
Profitability doesn’t reflect the effort going in
Financials are there, but not really driving decisions
You know the business could run better, but you’re not sure how to fix it
What looks like a people problem is usually a structure and accountability problem.
Most business owners I speak to have been putting up with this for longer than they should have.
Take the 5-minute Owner Dependency Scorecard to find out how long your business could actually run without you, and what that means for its value.
I work with business owners to understand how the business is really operating, identify what is holding it back and focus on what needs to change first.
Most businesses don’t need more ideas. They need fewer priorities, better decisions and proper execution.
This is not about trying to fix everything at once. It’s about identifying the key issues, prioritising properly and focusing on what will make the biggest difference.
Setting direction and making decisions stick
Putting structure and accountability in place
Improving commercial discipline and profitability
Defining roles so people actually own outcomes
Addressing behavioural and people challenges directly
Reducing reliance on the owner
Building practical tools, including AI, that expose real numbers and reduce reliance on the owner
This is not a programme or a fixed process. Mentoring only works if there is a strong working relationship and a clear understanding of what needs to change.
We talk through how your business is actually running.
Clear, honest view of what is really going on.
We only move forward if it makes sense for both of us.
This is a working relationship, not just advice.
Chester is a short drive from Ruthin, so it’s one of the easiest places for me to work in person, along with the towns around it. That means more time at your business and less reliance on video calls.
Most sessions happen at your premises, whether that’s an office in Chester, a unit at Ellesmere Port or a rural business near Malpas. Seeing the business in action tells me more than any report.
A typical month mixes time on site with you, and sometimes your managers, with a shorter online check-in to review progress and agree what happens next. The rhythm is set around your business, not a fixed template.
The Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub can point you to funding, grants and specialist advice, and it’s worth a call. Mentoring sits alongside it: one experienced person working with you on how the business is run, over months rather than a single session.
Different situations call for different levels of support. Most of my work with owners in the £1m–£10m range falls into one of these two.
A working relationship, not a one-off review. I stay close to the business as decisions, structure and performance evolve, meeting regularly and staying in touch in between. If you’ve had the Business Value Review, the first session turns it into a working plan.
From £950 a month + VAT
Ideal when you want consistent perspective and support as things evolve, not just a single conversation.
A structured, independent review of over 170 areas of the business, from strategy, management and processes to marketing, financials and people, with a close eye on how much of it depends on you. You get a written report and a clear set of priorities, with no ongoing commitment.
£3,500 + VAT
Ideal when you want an honest view of where the business stands before a big decision, a push for growth, or a future sale.
Not quite £1m–£10m, or looking for something different?
Running a smaller business? The 60-Day Business MOT is a focused review for businesses under £500k turnover, and Early-Stage Mentoring gives you regular support as you grow.
Need to build capability in your team rather than work with you directly? Management Training helps SME teams build stronger leadership and management skills.
Need experienced input on one specific project or problem? I also take on day-rate consultancy: focused, practical work with a clear outcome.
Every business has multiple issues. The starting point is understanding what actually matters, then prioritising what will make the biggest difference.
See more results →Strong team, but constant friction and lack of accountability
→ Reset leadership expectations
→ Defined responsibilities and behaviours
Improved alignment and stability
Created a stronger platform for performance and growth
Most SME owners don’t have a growth problem. They have a structure problem, and it’s quietly costing them value.
Having been a business owner myself, I understand the reality behind the numbers: the pressure, trade-offs and consequences of decisions made too late or without structure.
Before working with SME owners, I operated at board level within a PE-backed business and later led a business within UL Solutions following acquisition, inside a £2bn+ global organisation.
That experience changes how I look at businesses:
Understanding how businesses are assessed commercially
Knowing what stands up to scrutiny
Balancing operational reality with strategic direction
The goal is always the same: a business that is less dependent on the owner, more commercially robust, and structured for long-term performance and value.
“Rob has been invaluable as my business mentor as I’ve been scaling my electrical business. He has a real knack for breaking down complex business challenges into straightforward steps I can actually implement. What I value most is having him as a sounding board — whenever questions come up about growth, systems, or the next steps for the business, I know I can run things past him and get practical guidance based on his genuine experience of scaling businesses.”
I work with owner-managed businesses in Chester and right across the surrounding area, including Ellesmere Port, Frodsham, Neston, Tarvin, Helsby and Malpas. If you are nearby but not on that list, it is still worth asking.
No. Alongside Chester and the surrounding area, I work with SME owners across the Wirral, Liverpool, Shropshire, North Wales and Mid Wales. The approach is the same wherever the business is.
Mainly owner-managed businesses turning over roughly £1m to £10m. If you are under £500k turnover, the 60-Day Business MOT or Early-Stage Mentoring is usually the better starting point. Between £500k and £1m, it depends on the business, so get in touch and we will work out which option fits best.
The registered office is in Ruthin, North Wales, and I work across Chester and the surrounding area.
Yes. Chester and the surrounding area are a short drive from Ruthin, so most sessions happen in person at your business, with online sessions in between.
Yes. Distribution and logistics businesses around Ellesmere Port often grow quickly on the back of a few large contracts. The challenge is building the management layer and the margin visibility to match, so the owner isn’t holding it all together.
Not quite. Coaching usually helps you find your own answers. Mentoring adds experience: I’ve run businesses, been through a PE-backed sale, and I’ll tell you what I think. If you’ve been looking for a business coach in Chester, this is the more hands-on version.
No preparation needed. We’ll start with how your business is actually running today. If it makes sense, we’ll take it further. If not, you’ll still leave knowing what to fix first.
No preparation needed. Start with how things really are today. If it makes sense, we’ll take it further. If not, you’ll still leave knowing what to fix first.